mini story of Azure
by zuhzoo
Summary: Just so I can practice some present tense stuff...


The mini story of Azure.

The fire's left me. Left me, and taken him. I lay here, in this sunlit valley, with my friends. The clan cats that ran away with me. There were four clans, in that area, Seaclan, Skyclan, Worldclan and Fireclan. They worry about me, calling about Starclan, and how I must be their new leader, and we must travel to a Starclan meeting place to finalise the new clan.

"LunarClan" I breathe slowly.

My name is Azure. I was a simple housecat, or 'kittypet' as they call me here. Me and Uhro, and Femme, we all came here. Once. It was a long time ago now, it seemed. Back in that leaffall...it was early summer now, so it had happened, nearly a year ago, when we found this valley. Running from our twolegs, it was the hardest thing we'd had to do, but this valley had sheltered us, and, lead us to the clans.

I'm listening now, everyone, talking so fast, all so worried, and me in a daze. "Stop, stop talking" I croak desperately, tears blurring my vision. "A lot of cats fought for us to be here, sacrificed themselves, helped us, even a dog did. We can't waste it on arguing, and worrying. " Every cat fell silent, and I feel so aware of my voice, echoing, my words spreading in an almost visible breeze. "There is no _need _for this worrying. Come, everyone, let's build a shelter for us, in the protection of those trees behind us. Look, it is near the small river, and long grass lies behind it. If you so wish, the cats will be separated into their clans, me alone in the middle, and you will be part of your old clans until tomorrow evening. Come on, then, we need to build quickly, and effectively to be done by nightfall." Every cat follows me, even the small kits, and we work together on the shelter. As I had hoped, it is done by nightfall, safe enough, but still with many improvements to make. And now, we all walk in, to join our groups and rest, all falls silent once again.

A murmur. I can hear some cat saying something, no, two, or three. I'm opening my eyes, and I can see that everyone is asleep. However, I think, no, I'm definitely sure that some of the cats' faces are crumpled with worry, and a couple of them call out in their dreams. I need to think.

Walking outside, it is still dark, but it is just light enough to suggest dawn will be coming in about an hour, a dancing flicker in the sky. Shaking my head, I return to that moment, of Uhro's death. We were with the adult twoleg who took care of us as strays, after the clans chased us out of their territory. Me and Uhro were basking together in the light that flooded the bedroom...

"We need to get as much sun as we can before it disappears!" I mewed cheerfully, giving Uhro a lick on the head.

He purred, in his deep, happy voice, and yawned as a reply. He then flicked his tail, and curled around me, and we both purred quietly, singing our beautiful song of love. Oh what a thing, love. The most dangerous thing you can ever face. But at the same time the sweetest melody, the one and only thing that can ever truly save you. Love for a kit, love for a friend, or sibling, and then, love for your mate. Me and Uhro were mates. We had decided that same day to have kits, and what a happy thing it was to be! Oh the joy that lay in front of us that day!

But Uhro said something, waking me from my dreaming slumber.

"Those cats from the clans need help. Do you remember what we found out? Those leaders of theirs, so tyrannical... And that warrior code that keeps them afraid to fight back? I think we can help Azure, I really think so. They need to see-"

"Uhro! Do you think those big, muscular cats would listen to us, loners? Anyway, I'll be right back; I've just got to have a snack." With that, I jumped off of the bed and ran down the creaky wooden stairs, and into the garden, to the shed where the twoleg put our food, and took a few bites. Then, the twoleg had decided to come and follow me, hoping to pet my head or stroke my back or whatever twoleg game she felt like playing with me. But my ears heard a sound, from the house, and through the clear rock plane I could see into her cooking area...where flames enveloped the room. I yowled and then she screeched back. Uhro! Uhro! My mind went wild as I thought of only Uhro.

The twoleg pressed something to her ear and began screeching in fear to it, but I ignored her and ran to the house. "Uhro! Uhro!" I shouted, again, again, again. I pushed through the thick, thick smoke, and gasped, eyes streaming, heart pounding, all my senses and knowledge and instincts told me to run. My legs shook and I couldn't see. "Uh-Uhr...o...!" I called a last time, before turning back to watch anxiously from the garden...

I would never see Uhro again. Sitting in the valley, by the river, I breathe in slowly, and try to shake the memories away viciously...I have a whole group, clan of cats to take care of. No time for nostalgia of worse times to confuse me...

"Azure?" An apprentice squeaks behind me.

"hmm?" I turn to her...I think her name is Snappaw "Snappaw? What?"

"It's dawn, and they want...to see you..." the kit whispers to me.

So I walk into the den...And realised I was remembering longer...longer than I thought, the light pouring in now. And they're telling me how we need to improve this place...

So now it's later, a few moons in fact. We've been doing so much work I haven't been able to think, but now, the whole valley is split up! The place we first built is the leaders den, for me, Azurestar and Cometpelt, the new leader and deputy. Every body just calls me Azure though, except when we talk to Starclan. Strangely, Starclan accepted the new clan, and me. Accepted...so strange, everyone accepted me, the closed up but practical leader, with the kindness...I don't know. This place is happy, and the cats can show their true colours now, the prey plentiful, at least now, this leaffall...and without their cruel ex-leaders. I worry they will look for us, but for now it seems fine.

My heart swells happily, but it's still broken. One cat did try to win my love, once...but I couldn't Uhro...my only love. I don't want there to be anyone else. It couldn't be the same. So I am kindly to the clans cats, of LunarClan, but I do not really know many of them, in fact, they can come and go as they wish...It's relaxed, here. Cometpelt would like it otherwise, and I think we will stop this, not that anyone has left, but from the threats of those who mean hardship for us. So I'm going to go find Cometpelt. Assumedly he's by the leader's den.

And there he is- Cometpelt. With his silky, shiny light grey fur with black streaks. I think again of when he pledged his love to me, but shake it off.

"Cometpelt?" I ask, and we sort out the matters.

Afterward, it is time to sort out evening patrol, and I set to that easily but now, the grown Snaptail, a warrior now, is talking to me.

"Azure?" She's saying, looking worried. "I know that you have lost four lives so...shockingly, from accidents and you saving cats. But why, why spend three lives on that fire? I'm worried, but we are grateful for those that were saved..."

"I saved six, six cats. That is more lives than I lost, and that is the point. I have lives to spare, five still, and they don't...I have a history with fire.

And that's how it happened then. No one could fight with me about the matter from the way I put it, but that's how I gradually lost my lives, until I had just two, when I really needed them. But saving the cats lives was important. But now, a battle is about to be waged, from all, all of the crippled numbers of the clans. The four, evil siblings that rule them send their own cats to their deaths. Cats are yowling and someone jumps on me from my back. "Coward" I'm spitting, heart thump, thump, thumping, as I struggle free and tackle him. For a second, I see it- a cat I met, asking for help, he wanted to be free, but had no courage. Now I still see the same fear as before, and I've got to tell him "Join us. We won't harm you."

"You are cats of the night" He spits back. "You are evil, and take cats from our side, to fight for you." He says it shakily, unbelievingly "I am a cat of the day. Good, and...oh they tell us all this, and force us to train, and fight. They take young kits and turn them into warriors so quickly..." He sniffed, and ran. Cats of the night...It is true that we reverted to the old ways and became mostly nocturnal...Cats of the day, that sleep like twolegs. I have an idea. We LunarClan have to help the other clans and create SolarClan! I know this should work.

"Cats! My cats, LunarClan!" I'm calling, my legs are shaking. "Don't fight the innocent cats of what is to become SolarClan! StarClan speaks to me, and they are to join, and face their dictators, the blood siblings! So, you to be SolarClan, so not fight us, as together we can beat your rulers!" At first the cats are low to react, but then, many of my cats, I can see them, turning on the leaders... But the confusion consumes us all and there is still fighting. Claws! Sharp, needle sharp claws, they're raking my back!

"You don't want to obey StarClan?!" I hiss, but there is BlackStar, the strongest, oldest of the blood siblings. He hisses in return, and we are to begin a fatal battle.

With this my cats, and some of the others are attacking the other three, and I feel a cat- Cometpelt, trying to pull Blackstar from me. The effect lasts a second, but I latch my jaws to the crooked leader and manage to take one of his lives...as so does Nightstar. And now Jetstar...But he returns, and he's coming at me, this time Cometpelt cannot help him! I scratch and writhe but he latches to me, pushes me flat, blood oozing from my veins sickeningly. He's going to...

There he is, as I open my eyes slowly, another life lost. Four cats try to stop him and he turns on them. Now I hear that BurntStar is dead, and Jetstar had fled. Any cats that previously still fought for them have either escaped or converted to help us. I shake off the drowsiness of losing a life, and shout some orders at cats that were just watching me in fear.

We will overpower them, and win this battle, Prevail, we must.

"AZURE!" Cometpelt Screams at me, watching something rear behind me. Nightstar is trying to jump me from behind, and Blackstar seems to be trying to help him, and do the same...

"We will NOT let you win." He spits. But I think. It's his fault, and his siblings, that Uhro died. We could not join their clans, because of their direction. Uhro is dead. All I want is to join him, and my heart aches for him, for the life that could have been, and anger, the biggest anger I've ever had, is boiling inside of me. I feel like I'm on fire, like I could scream and rip and tear and shred, and the world would fall apart. I stare into his eyes, and see a hatred, for happiness. He killed mine.

And I jump on Nightstar, furious, slashing at him, biting until he will never be seen alive again. His brother yowls, and breaks free of the cats blocking him, and prowls towards me. I face him, calmly, hatred is flowing through my body, mocking everything he or I have ever known. He is going to murder me; but I am going to take him with me.

An ear piercing shriek is heard as we charge for each other, blood soaking our fur, fury and rage in our eyes, one of the darkness, one of the light. Our battle will always be remembered. LunarClan and SolarClan will thrive together, paw in paw. And I will watch down on them from Starclan, with my beloved Uhro, who led me to them in the first place. And I am never in this moment, forever in this moment, as I throw myself at Blackstar, and we lie, frozen, jaw on necks, claws unsheathed.


End file.
